Services for researchers

Cancer statistics

We can provide case counts and summary cancer statistics at various levels of detail. Standard outputs are .CSV or Excel files sent by email. Data can also be supplied on paper or disk.

The scheduling and costs of such requests will vary. Requests from WA Health staff are given priority.

Examples – rapid, simple, usually free

Cumulative incidences for standard cancer type groupings are available by

health zone

health service

state

Indigenous status

5-year age group or aggregations

sex

We can also supply

incidence and mortality case counts

rates and 95% confidence intervals/standard errors

person years of life lost (PYLL)

Examples – more complex

Similar statistics to the above can be generated for non-standard groupings or individual postcode areas, or non-standard age groupings.

If you require counts only, this is rapid, simple and usually free.

If rates are required and populations supplied, it will take a little longer.

If rates are required and populations are not supplied, timeliness and cost will depend upon the Registry’s ability to access the required information. It may not be possible.

Projections require significant work unless data from a published report is sufficient.

Survival – analytical and graphical methods are being developed. If "stage" is not an issue, this can now be done on the basis of the most recent "cut" of incidence data files.

Other services not specific to cancer

These may be available depending on need and resourcing:

database design (DBase, Access, some Oracle resources)

statistical analysis

DBase, Clipper, Access and Excel programming and consultancy

management/facilitation of research projects entailing contacting of medical practitioners and persons with cancer – based on time expended, and conditional on approval by Confidentiality of Health Information Committee (CHIC)